Apparatus for supplying fuel for producing combustion



J. A. BROWN Sept. 17, 1929.

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL FOR PRODUCING COMBUSTION Filed Oct. 29, 1926.

nnn ui l l l l lfln H n l l l hl l l l l l v u WI IIIIIIIHHIIII u Mun/roe. JHMES ,4. BROWN )47'7'0P/VEY5 Patented Sept. 17,1929

rates JAME$ A. BRG'WN, F JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE GAS. MACHINERY CO]!!- PANY OF CLEVELAND, GHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING- FUEL PRODUCING COMBUSTION Application filed October es, 1926. Serial No. 144,974.

My invention relates to an apparatus forheating a combustion chamber.

Gas producers are commonly employed to produce fuel gas for heating gas-making retorts, coke ovens, boilers, etc; Such producers are liable to breakage which necessitates a discontinuance of their operation until repairs can be made. in some cases, for example in coke ovens and in gas -benches or retorts, it is necessary that heat be supplied at all times, in order to avoid injury to the apparatus which would result from the cooling thereof, for which reason it is common practice to provide a reserve gas producer which is ordinarily idle, to the end that the required supply of fuel will still be available should the regular gas producer fail. Since a gas producer is an expensive apparatus, a great saving would be effected it means could be devised whereby substantially the same result could be accomplished while dispensing with one of the producers. J

In plants where coal or other rich gas is produced, it often occurs that more gas is produced than can be utilized or stored, as on Sundays or holidays when the demand is small, because gas making must continue irrespective of demand in order to avoid ratus. in this situation the gas whichcannot be stored must be allowed to waste into t" e air. Under such circumstances it would result in a decided economy if the rich gas so wasted could be utilized to heat apparatus normally supplied by a gas producer, because, in' that event, the gas producer might be temporarily shut down.

It is. the purpose of this invention to utilize such richer gas, such as coal gas, water gas,; natural gas, etc., in place of producer gas,.whereby one gas producer may be dispensed with in plants'employing an extra producer for the purpose of insuring acontinuous supply, 01; whereby the operation' of a gas producer ordinarily'employed for the production of fuel may be entirely dispensed with at times when rich gases are available and would otherwise be'wasted.

5 :The invention also contemplates thesimulcooling and consequent injury to the appa taneous use of such richer gas and producer gas in the same apparatus, as will be hereinafter pointedout. v 1

The difficulty of employing such richer gas is that the burners adapted for a gas' of low heat value are not also adapted to burn gas of comparatively high heat value, because a large volume of gas of low heat value must be used to secure the heating effect which might be produced by a nuch smaller volume of the richer gas, so that where the former is "to be employed the delivery openings are made comparatively large to accommodate a large volume of gas per unit of time. But if a much richer gas at the same pressure and in suficient volume for eflicient operation of the same burner were supp-lied thereto, the heat developed would be so great as to burnout the apparatus.

' It is therefore the object of thisinvention to utilize, in an apparatus normally employing. producer gas or gas of a given heat value, a gas of higher heat value, either alternatively with the former or simultaneously therewith, as occasion demands, withthe same heating efiect.

The inventionconsists in the apparatus hereinafter described and claimed, the. es-

sence of the manner of using the same conmert gas sisting in mixing a substantiall out changing the apparatus and without the witnt-he richer gas to materialy increase its volume. The drawing is a diagrammatic represen-i tation of an apparatus made in accordance with my invention, constituting one of the forms in which'my invention may be em bodied. i

Referring to the drawing indetail, a gas producer 1 of ordinary construction is provided with a conduit 2' which conducts prod'ucer gas through a gas-flue 3 to the conibustion chamber containing a battery of coke ovens or gas benches 4, indicated in dotted lines. Above the ovens or benches is a waste gas flue 5 through which the products of combustion are carried to a chimney 6 and thereby to the atmosphere. The construction above is well known and its operation will be obvious, the producer 1 supplying gas of low heat value which passes through conduit 2 to burners in the combustion chamber, and the products of combustion passing ofi through the waste gas flue 5.

As above indicated, my invention contemplates the use of any richer gas available in the plant in lieu of, or in addition to, the producer gas, such as coal gas, water gas,

natural gas, etc., all of which are of much higher heat value than producer gas, coal gas for example, containing about 675 Btu. per cubic foot, while producer gas has only about 110 Btu. per cubic foot.

To utilize such richer gases without changing or adjusting the burners in the combustion chamber, I have discovered that the richer gases may be diluted with a substantially inert gas, such as .the products of combustion from the waste gas flue, and whenused in proper proportions substantially the same heating effect may be pro-' duced in the combustion chamber without any change whatever in the apparatus.

My novel apparatus comprises a pipe 7 leading from a. source of supply of richer gas (notshown), such as a gas holder, 'to the suction side of a fan 8, another pipe 9 leading from the discharge side of the fan to the conduit 2. The fan is operated by an electric motor 10, or any other suitablemeans. Also connected with the suction side. .of the tan is a branch pipe 11 leading to the waste gas flue 5. valve 12 is set in pipe 7 adjacent to the fan 8, another one 13 in branch pipe 11, adjacent to waste gas flue 5, another, 14:, in pipe 9 adjacent to the conduit 2, and another, 15, in conduit 2 adjacent to the gas producer 1.

When the ovens are to be heated by producer gas alone, valve 15 will be opened and valves 12, 13 and 14 will be closed. In this condition the operation of the apparatus will be obvious. When is is desired to shut ofl'the producer for repairs or for any other reason the valve 15 will be closed and all the other valves opened. In such condition and assuming that there are substantially no waste gases in the flue 5, the gas of higher heat value will be admitted to the combus tion chamber and burned therein. The fan will then begin to draw from the flue the waste gases and mix them with the gas coming through pipe 7, to produce a mixture of the required volume and heat value.

The richer gas coming from the gas holder through pipe 7 will be much cooler than producer gas delivered at the burner and the waste gases mixed therewith will also amazes a temperature lower than the producer gas is ordinarily supplied thereto. it will be obvious, under these conditions, that more oi the richer gas must be used than would be necessary if it were delivered at a higher temperature, in order to produce a given heating effect. The volume 01 richer gas to be supplied is that volume which will produce the required heating effect in the combustion chamber. The volume of diluent supplied will be that volume which, when added to the richer gas and air necessary for complete combustion, will cause the burners to work efliciently. The volumes oi gas and diluent must be properly coordinated to give efliciency 'to the'burner with the desired heating effect in the combustion chamber, and this may be done by properly regulating the relative proportions thereof by means of the fan and valves.

"If the gasfrom the producer is richer or leaner than the standard for which the burners are designed, it may be made leaner or richer by proper control of the. valves to admit waste gases, or some of the richer gas, either diluted or not, as occasion demands. p

A distinct advantage results from the use of waste gases as the diluent for the richer gas as such waste gases are hot. and thus serve to heat the mixture before it enters the combustion chamber.

The use of my improved apparatus comprehends a new and improved method for supplying fuel for producing combustion which, however, is not claimed in this application, and such method may be carried out by apparatus of forms other than the one herein shown, described and claimed.

The inert gas employed for dilution may be other than the products of combustion, and when products of combustion are used they may be drawn from any convenient source. It is also to be understood that the richer gas may be drawn from any suitable source,

which may be gas made in the plant, or supplied from the outside, either natural or artificial.

From the above it will be. apparent that, in the practice of my invention, gas producer burners are used without change to burn richer gas in a manner to produce sub- =stantially the same efficiency and heating effect in the combustion chamber, whereby a great saving is eifected, principally by being able to dispense with an extra gas producer, but also by utilizing rich gases which would otherwise be wasted. It will also be clear that my invention is applicable to any situation where a gas producer is used to supply fuel and richer gasesare available. f

What'I claim is: 1. Apparatus for supplying fuel for producing combustion comprising, in combination, a gas producer, a combustion chamber, a waste gas flue, a conduit leading from the producer to the combustion chamber, a valve in said conduit, means adapted to furnish a volume of gas of heat value higher 7 than that of producer gas and connecting .with said conduit, means forregulating the a volume of said gas of higher heat value, a

connecting pipe between said higher-valuegas furnishing means and said waste gas line, a valve in the connecting )ipe adjacent to the waste gas flue, and a an for withdrawing gas from the waste gas flue and mixing it with the gas of higher heat value.

2. The combination of a gas producer; apa paratus for effecting the combustion of the producer gas; a supply duct, for said com- I bustion apparatus; a waste gas duct leading from said combustion -apparatus: a source of gas rich in heat value as compared with such producer gas; an auxiliary duct connecting said source of rich gas with thesaid supply duct; a supplemental duct connecting the waste gas duct with said auxiliary duct; means for drawing exhaust gas from said supplemental duct and for drawing gas from said source'ofrich gas and forcing the mixture thereof through said auxiliary duct into said supply duct; a valve for disconnecting said gas producer from said supply duct and a valve for disconnecting said auxiliary duct from said supply duct.

'3. Apparatus for supplying fuel for producing combustion comprising, a gas producer; apparatus're ulatably connected with said gas producer of the producer gas; a source of gas rich in heating value compared to said'producer gas; a waste as flue from said combustion apparatus; a gas flue and means for ,regulating said branch duct; means for regulating the volume of gas from said source of com aratively rich gas; means for mixing sai rich 'gas with the waste gas from said branch duct; means for conveying said mixture to the combustion apparatus; and means for regilating said conveyingmeans.

igned by me this 26th day of October,

' JAMES A. BROWN.

or effecting combustion ranch duct from said waste 

